Controversial Issues - Alternative Viewpoints

This is a selective bibliography of materials that present alternative viewpoints on controversial issues.

BOOKS IN SERIES/ANNUALS

Holdings, location and availability information about the books in the series listed below can be obtained from MARQCAT, the Libraries' online catalog.

CONTEMPORARY WORLD ISSUES
Each book deals with a single topic and contains a chronology, biographies, relevant statistics, a directory of organizations and a bibliography.  Not in a pro/con format, but an excellent source of information on controversial topics.  Recent examples: Affirmative Action, Agricultural Crisis, Capital Punishment, Censorship, Crime, Divorce, Environmental Activism, Families, HateCrimes, Homelessness, Gangs, Genetic Engineering, Juvenile Justice, Media and politics in America, National Security, Nuclear Power, Police Misconduct, Pornography, Prisons, Racial Justice, Rainforests, Rape, Religion and Politics, Religious Right, Reproductive Issues, Single Parents, Slavery, Tax Reform, Tobacco, Urban Sprawl, Women in Prison, World Population, Work and Family.

CURRENT CONTROVERSIES
Excerpts from articles, newspapers, and books are used to present authoritative opinions on issues of national and international interest in a pro/con format.  A short bibliography and a list of organizations are included. Examples:  Abortion,Alcoholism, Assisted Suicide, Capital Punishment, Computers and Society, Conserving the Environment, Disabled, Free Speech, Garbage and Waste, Gay Rights, Gun Control, Guns and Violence, Homosexuality, Information Age, Marriage and Divorce, Medical Ethics, Middle East, Pollution, Prisons, Police Brutality, Rights of Animals, Sexual Harassment, Smoking, Teen Addiction, Terrorist Attack on America, Violence Against Women, Violence in the Media, Youth Violence.

CURRENT ISSUES RAYNOR REF JK 1 \ .C87 (latest 3 years) Older issues in Memorial Library Stacks
Annual publication which gives a pro/con perspective on about 20 key domestic and foreign policy issues.  A short current bibliography is included.

OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS
Each title explores many aspects of a broad issue using expert opinions from contemporary and historical authors in a pro/con format.  Contains bibliographies, list of relevant organizations, glossaries, cartoons and chronologies.  Recent examples: Abortion, Advertising, Aging, Adoption, America's Prisons, Animal Experimentation, Catholic Church, Child Abuse, Civil Liberties, Cloning, Crime and Criminals, Death Penalty, Drug Abuse, Education, Endangered Species, Epidemics, Euthanasia, Gender Roles, Global Warming, Globalization, Feminism, Gun Control, Gun Violence, Healthcare, Hate Groups, Illegal Immigration, Internet, Interracial America, Marijuana, Media Violence, Obesity, Paranormal, Patriot Act, Police Brutality, Pollution, Prisons, Sex, Religion in America, Teens at Risk, Technology and Society, Terrorism, Values, Work.

REFERENCE SHELF [select the limit/sort button and check sort results by year for a list of titles]
Each book excerpts or reprints important articles on a contemporary social issue.  Included are background information, discussions from various points of view, and a bibliography.  Recent examples: Aging, American Prison System, Biotechnology,Campaign Finance Reform, Chemical and Biological Warfare, Corporate Power, Demographics, Energy Policy, European Union, Foreign Policy, Free Trade, Glovalization, Global Climate Change, Global Warming, Healthcare, Police in Society, the Press, Privacy, Religion in Politics, School Violence, Sports, Substance Abuse, Television, Terrorism, United States Supreme Court, Violence in Society, Volunteerism, and Wildlife Preservation, Women's Rights.

TAKING SIDES: CLASHING VIEWS ON CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES
Adjacent pro and con arguments excerpted from journal articles and books are written by experts and focus on diverse topics surrounding a broad issue area.  The MARQCAT entry does not provide information on the specific issues discussed within each volume.  Examples: Abnormal Psychology, American Foreign Policy, American History, Bioethics, Business Ethics, Childhood and Society, Crime and Criminology, Drugs and Society, Economic Issues, Educational Issues, Environmental Issues, Family and Personal Relationships, Health and Society, Human Sexuality, Legal Issues, Mass Media, Moral Issues, Political Issues, Psychological Issues, Race and Ethnicity, Science and Technology, Social Issues, World Civilizations, World Politics. Further information about each book is available at http://www.dushkin.com/takingsides/ts-list.mhtml.   Select your title at the bottom of the page and then link to Table of Contents.

ARTICLES

At the Libraries' homepage, http://www.marquette.edu/library select Journal Articles, Databases and Other E-resources and then click the Search button

* Off-campus Access to Marquette Card Holders only

ACADEMIC SEARCH ELITE * contains indexing for 3,200 journals in the social sciences, humanities, general science, multi-cultural studies, education and much more.  Full-text articles are available from over 1,230 journals.  Click on the Advanced Search tab.  Enter your search terms and refine your search with the available options.  The results list for a search may include Web links.

ALT-PRESS WATCH * A full text database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the alternative and independent press.  This interdisciplinary resource contains over 170 titles providing a source of viewpoints and perspectives to complement and challenge the coverage of the mainstream media.

CONGRESSIONAL UNIVERSE: HOT BILLS AND HOT TOPICS * Congressional Information Service (CIS) editors have selected bills and topics on the major issues of the day.  For each topic there are articles from major national and regional news sources.

CQ RESEARCHER *
Articles on controversial current events are written by experienced journalists and focus on a specific topic.  Each issue include topic summaries, an historical perspective, recent developments, a list of contacts, a chronology, a bibliography and a pro/con feature.  Users can search or browse by topic.

ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES@Facts.com *
Articles provide clear explanations of opposing viewpoints of over 250 issues.  Includes the history of an issue, a current overview, varying opinions, a prediction of future developments, and a short bibliography. Has separate indexes for editorials, source documents, photos and graphics.

LEXIS-NEXIS ACADEMIC UNIVERSE *
Offers full-text retrieval from a variety of sources including magazines, wire services, transcripts and regional, national, and international newspapers.  Select the News Category and News Source most appropriate for your search.  Make sure to select the appropriate Date information.

NEWSPAPERS IN PROQUEST *
Coverage of 300 + National and International news sources including the following:  Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, New York Times, Star Tribune, Times of London, Wall Street Journal, Wisconsin State Journal.

PROQUEST RESEARCH LIBRARY *
Broad interdisciplinary index of more than 2,500 periodicals from scholarly journals to popular magazines.  Includes the full-text of about 1500 publications.  To obtain editorials, select Advanced Search.  Enter search terms and then choose Editorial as the Document Type.

OTHER USEFUL SOURCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BIOETHICS 1975- RAYNOR REF QH332 .B5x
Cites books, documents and journal articles pertaining to ethical questions arising in the biomedical and behavioral fields.  Examples: Abortion, Assisted Suicide, AIDS Confidentiality, Cloning, Euthanasia, Eugenics, Gene Therapy, Human Experimentation, Life Extension, Organ Donation, Sex Determination.

CONGRESSIONAL DIGEST * 1985 - 
Each issue is devoted to one topic with pro/con opinions from congressional members.

EDITORIALS ON FILE *
The online version provides a limited number of editorial opinions on social, economic and political issues.  The print version (Raynor Reference D839 E3 for 2006-  and Memorial Periodicals D839 E3 for 1978-2003 issues) offers a wider variety of topics.

FACTSEARCH * 1984- Provides facts and statistics on current social, economic, political, environmental and health issues, derived from some 1,000 newspapers, periodicals, newsletters, and documents.

STATISTICAL ABSTRACT OF THE UNITED STATES RAYNOR REF DESK and RAYNOR REFERENCE HA 202 .S76 http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ Best one-volume source of U.S. statistics on a wide variety of topics.

SELECTED PRO/CON WEB SITES

American Medical Association (AMA) Hot Topics Search for current medical-legal information

ArtsJournal Links to articles on the arts and culture.  Of particular interest are the Arts Issues, ArtsWatch, and Issue Tracks sections.

Best Information on the Net from St. Ambrose University.  Resources for about 25 topics with links to articles, position papers and advocacy groups.

Brookings Institution Policy Briefs The Brookings Institution is a nonpartisan organization that does research on public policy.  The site contains analysis and commentary on many issues.

National Issues is a non-partisan, issue-oriented research web site that provides information on the major issues facing our nation today.

>NewScientist.com For a wide-variety of scientific topics in the news, you can find articles and links to other resources.

Online Newshour Special Reports  Reports from the Public Broadcasting System

Public Agenda Online information provided by a nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and citizen education organization.  Public Agenda Issue Guides are available for 22 broad subject areas that provide links to more in depth reports.

Social Issues Research Centre SIRC is an independent, not-for-profit organization based in Oxford, UK that conducts research on a wide range of social topics. You will find recent reports and articles in the Publications and Articles sections.

University of Southern Indiana Research Guides-Current Issues

Urban Institute Use the menu bar to connect to special reports, issues and research produced by this nonpartisan economic and social policy organization.

*Off-campus Access to Marquette Card Holders only

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